TY - JOUR
T1 - Effects of early and late-onset treatment with carvedilol in an experimental model of aortic regurgitation
AU - Eskesen, Kristian
AU - Olsen, Niels Thue
AU - Dimaano, Veronica L.
AU - Fritz-Hansen, Thomas
AU - Sogaard, Peter
AU - Abraham, Theodore P.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2015, Eskesen et al.; licensee Springer.
PY - 2015/12/30
Y1 - 2015/12/30
N2 - Background: Beta-blockade is contraindicated in severe aortic regurgitation (AR) due to the fear of prolonging diastole and thus aggravate regurgitation. However, this has never been scientifically proven and positive effects of targeting the sympathetic system in AR has been demonstrated in several studies. Method: Thirty-nine Sprague–Dawley rats with AR were randomized to ten weeks of medical treatment with carvedilol or no treatment. Treatment was initiated either early or late after AR induction. The effect of carvedilol was assessed by serial echocardiography and invasive hemodynamic measurements. Results: AR resulted in eccentric hypertrophy and left ventricular (LV) dysfunction. LV remodeling and function as measured by echocardiography was unaffected by treatment. LV dimensions were similar between treated and untreated groups and measures of LV performance (including strain and strain rate) were also unaltered. This result was confirmed by invasive measurements showing maximal and minimal pressure–time development, LV volumes, and LV pressures, to be unaltered by treatment. On the contrary, despite relative bradycardia carvedilol did not reflect any negative impact on the heart. Conclusion: Carvedilol did not improve left ventricular remodeling or function in rats with surgically induced AR. Despite relative bradycardia, we did not find carvedilol to negatively impact the heart, either when treatment was initiated early or late in the course of disease.
AB - Background: Beta-blockade is contraindicated in severe aortic regurgitation (AR) due to the fear of prolonging diastole and thus aggravate regurgitation. However, this has never been scientifically proven and positive effects of targeting the sympathetic system in AR has been demonstrated in several studies. Method: Thirty-nine Sprague–Dawley rats with AR were randomized to ten weeks of medical treatment with carvedilol or no treatment. Treatment was initiated either early or late after AR induction. The effect of carvedilol was assessed by serial echocardiography and invasive hemodynamic measurements. Results: AR resulted in eccentric hypertrophy and left ventricular (LV) dysfunction. LV remodeling and function as measured by echocardiography was unaffected by treatment. LV dimensions were similar between treated and untreated groups and measures of LV performance (including strain and strain rate) were also unaltered. This result was confirmed by invasive measurements showing maximal and minimal pressure–time development, LV volumes, and LV pressures, to be unaltered by treatment. On the contrary, despite relative bradycardia carvedilol did not reflect any negative impact on the heart. Conclusion: Carvedilol did not improve left ventricular remodeling or function in rats with surgically induced AR. Despite relative bradycardia, we did not find carvedilol to negatively impact the heart, either when treatment was initiated early or late in the course of disease.
KW - Aortic regurgitation
KW - Echocardiography
KW - Experimental animal studies
KW - Heart valvular disease
KW - Invasive hemodynamic measurements
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U2 - 10.1186/s40064-015-0829-6
DO - 10.1186/s40064-015-0829-6
M3 - Article
C2 - 25674505
AN - SCOPUS:84933037864
SN - 2193-1801
VL - 4
JO - SpringerPlus
JF - SpringerPlus
IS - 1
M1 - 52
ER -